Texts

Mairg do-n duine carus duíne

Middle Irish
prose
Medieval Irish wisdom literature

A series of about thirteen Middle Irish maxims, each of which begins Mairg (Woe [him] who ...). These are ascribed to Flann Fína (Alfrith, king of Northumbria, d. c. 704) in three of the manuscript copies that have come down (YBL, Add. and LB).

First words (prose)

Mairg do-n duine carus duíne, ocus ná car Día no-d-car

“Woe to the man who loves mankind, and who does not love God who loves him.”

Author

Ascribed to: Flann Fína mac Ossu

Aldfrith ... king of Northumbria

(d. 704/705)

Aldfrith son of Oswiu, king of Northumbria

Manuscripts

Three manuscript copies which may ultimately derive from a common original (Hull):

Dublin, Trinity College, MS 1318 5, cols 217-280 = YBL section [1407]

col. 232

London, British Library, MS Additional 30512 = Leabhar Uí Maolconaire [s. xv-xvi]

f. 19

Dublin, Trinity College, MS 1363 (H 4. 22) [various]

p. 87

Here entitled Audacht in Trír so-shis ‘The testament of the Trinity’

Dublin, Royal Irish Academy, MS 23 P 16 (1230) = Leabhar Breac (‘Speckled Book’) [s. xvⁱⁿ]

Linguistically more modern version, headed Fland Fína cecinit

Dublin, Royal Irish Academy, MS 23 N 27 (966) [1714]

ff. 17v6–18r8 pp. 32–33

Modern Irish version which has been altered in places; less complete

Language

Middle Irish
“these sayings, from a linguistic point of view, belong to the Middle Irish period and cannot possibly be dated back to an earlier epoch on the basis of their grammatical forms” (Hull).

Form

prose (primary)